Mid-Ohio ESC offices

Mid-Ohio Print Shop

and Mid-Ohio Finger printing

will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021

We will reopen on Tuesday, January 19, 2021

The Ohio School Boards Association celebrates School Board Recognition Month every January to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. School Board Recognition Month honors the members of all Ohio’s city, exempted village, local and joint vocational boards of education and educational service centers governing boards for their commitment to providing quality public education to Ohio’s school children. Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center (MOESC) is joining with districts throughout the state to recognize the important contributions school board members make to their communities.

The men and women comprising MOESC’s Board of Governors (including their tenure) are: 

• Mary Dixon - 11 years
• Doug Theaker - 27 years
• Richard “Dick” Prater - 5 years
• Margaret “Margie” Prater - 5 years
• Glenna Plotts - 5 years
• Brad Geissman - 5 years
• Kyle Swigart - 5 years

Mid-Ohio ESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel presented everyone with a certificate of commendation on behalf of the Ohio School Boards Association at the monthly meeting Wednesday, January 13th. The Board enjoyed cake as a small token of appreciation for their dedication and service to the Mid-Ohio region.

Board members determined that meetings will continue to be the 3rd Wednesday of each month starting at 12:00 p.m. They also voted on their 2021 officers. Dick Prater was elected president and Doug Theaker, vice-president.

“We are very lucky to have a dedicated Board of Governors that works closely with education professionals and community members to create an educational vision for our client districts and their students,” Kimmel said. “On behalf of the students and staff of our client districts and our community, I would like to personally thank the board members for their efforts in providing leadership for our educational service center.” For more information regarding School Board Recognition month, visit www.ohioschoolboards.org/.

In other business, with the recent passage of HB 409, the Board of Governors approved a resolution to modify the educational requirements to employ a substitute teacher, as long as all other requirements and procedures of statutory law and administrative rules are satisfied, which would include a background check and application to ODE for a substitute license. Mid-Ohio ESC has decided that an individual must still possess an associate degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education or complete at least two years of coursework at an accredited institution of higher education (defined as 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours).

This temporary flexibility will only be in place for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. Anyone interested in applying to become a substitute teacher should contact Leigh Gribble at Mid-Ohio ESC at 419-774-5520.

The Department of Student Services at Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center has two professional development programs coming up this month. First, an introduction to Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Planning (BIP) will have a two-part series of virtual training sessions. The first will be January 14th and the second will be January 21st. Both will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The second program will expound on Root Cause Analysis regarding behavioral issues. This training will be held January 15th via Zoom from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Special Education Consultant Ang Fetter will present the virtual trainings on FBA-BIP. The program will provide an introduction to the concepts and systems necessary to utilize FBA-BIP to support students with challenging behaviors. The sessions will focus on the processes and tools needed to assist coaches, facilitators, and problem-solving teams in planning and implementing, as well as evaluating, the FBA-BIP.

PBIS Consultant Cathy Csanyi will present the training on Root Cause Analysis. Root cause analysis involves searching backwards from an undesirable behavior to its cause and addressing that. Participants will understand the importance of getting to the root cause of a problem to assure that it is eliminated. They will also learn to recognize common barriers to root cause analysis and apply techniques to overcome them.

Register for either training at www.moesc.net/register. The cost for FBA-BIP is free for client districts and $75 for non-clients. The cost for Root Cause Analysis is free for client districts and $60 for non-clients. Anyone with questions can direct them to Wendy Harvey at harvey.wendy@moesc.net.

LGBTQ+ issues are as important as race when it comes to understanding and cooperation. To facilitate these conversations, Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center will present Identity Matters: LGBTQ Cultural Competency In Our Current World virtually on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. The training will take place from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Key Beck (they, them, theirs) is the LGBTQ Training Specialist at Lighthouse Safe and Supported. They have over 15+ years’ experience facilitating equity and cultural competency trainings specializing in gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and the intersection of these identities through culture.

They have facilitated trainings with many state and local agencies including the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Cincinnati Bar Association, Ohio Diversity Council, Ohio Children’s Alliance, and the Office of the Attorney General, and Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and Urban Appalachian Council amongst other community groups. They were recently featured in the 2020 Pride Edition of Cincinnati Magazine and they were awarded LGBTQ+ Leadership Award by the Ohio Diversity Council. 

At this workshop, Key will help us learn a basic vocabulary around gender identity and sexual orientation, introduce the concepts of shared values, and touch on the intersections of race, class, gender and sexual orientation in order to increase our cultural competency and fluency in social norms around gender and sexual identity. Key’s goal is to eliminate the fear, frustration, and reservation around having these needed conversations.

To register for this free workshop, go to www.moesc.net/register. Participants will receive a Zoom link via email.